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Bears
Plot Gordon let off steam as he braked at Vicarstown Station, feeling quite pleased with himself. "Ha, on time again! You simply cannot delay the Express!" "Whatever you say..." Henry muttered as he puffed into the station with some lumber from a lumber yard on the Mainland. "You wouldn't understand Henry. You haven't pulled the Express in a few weeks," Gordon smirked. "Perhaps, but any train can get delayed," Henry replied. "Hmph... Alright, you have a point. Nonetheless, I will not be delayed today-" Before Gordon could finish his prediction, Bear rolled up with a train of crates. "Hello you two," said Bear, panting slightly, as he started to cross the junction in front of Gordon. "Could you hurry it up a bit?" Gordon asked, trying to hide his irritation, "The Express must depart in a minute or two." "Oh. Sorry about that," said Bear sheepishly, but it turned out that he had a long train. He had pulled it all the way from Crovan's Gate, and was getting quite tired by this point. Henry noticed the green diesel's red face and bit his lip. "Are you alright, Bear? You look quite tired." "Oh... I am, Henry, not going to lie... but I got this far... I can't stop now..." The Hymek diesel panted as his wheels began to slip. "Oh dear, this train is quite heavy... Oh dear..." "You can do it, ol' boy. Just get to the platform and you'll have a nice rest," said his driver. Bear attempted a response, but was too tired to do so. Gordon looked at the nearest clock and gasped, realizing the Express should've departed a few minutes ago. "Bear! I'm late! Move already!" "I-I..." Bear couldn't say anymore, for he was focusing all his strength on pulling the train. The trucks slowly rumbled past Gordon for a few moments, before the brakevan eventually passed him. "Yes! I did it! I made it!" Bear beamed as he finally came to a stop. "Yes, you did," smiled his driver, "Now we can rest for a while. You've earned that, I say." "Thanks driver." Gordon, however, was much less enthusiastic about the whole ordeal. "You silly diesel! Now my express is late, thanks to your little escapade!" "I'm sorry, Gordon," Bear panted. Gordon just rolled his eyes. "What was that about not being delayed, Gordon?" Henry smirked as he started chuffing out of the station. Gordon was too deep in though to pay attention to Henry though as he started leaving the station. He glared back at Bear before crossing the points. His eyes narrowed as he looked ahead again, out to the Main Line. "Huh! Delaying my express..." Suddenly, an idea came to him, and a smirk came across his face. "Yes... Good idea... That'll teach him." That evening, as all the engines were back in their sheds, Gordon was still planning his idea. "I'll do it in the morning... Yes..." "Are you alright, Gordon?" Gordon was pulled from his thoughts as he noticed it was Bear who had asked the question. "...yes... why?" he asked as his smirk turned into a scowl. "Look, Gordon, I just wanted to apologize about delaying you this morning. I know how it must've felt to not feel in control of the timing of your most prized job. You can forgive me, can't you?" "Bear, why are you apologizing for something like that? That was in no way your fault," Henry said firmly. "Maybe, but I wanted to be polite. So, you forgive me, Gordon?" Gordon was barely even paying attention by this point, still mapping out his idea in his mind. "Oh, sure," he said absent-mindedly. Henry and Bear exchanged a confused look. The next morning, at Tidmouth Sheds, some of the engines were resting, waiting for the firelighter to come and light their fires. The sheds were oddly quiet, since most of the engines were quite bored. James sighed impatiently. "There's nothing to talk about..." Gordon, who was waiting for the perfect moment to put his plan into action, smirked as he carefully chose his words. "Nonsense, James. There's plenty to talk about."James looked over at the big engine in desperation for something interesting to happen. "Like what...?" "Well, little James..." Gordon paused impressively before continuing. "...our names, of course!" "...desperate much?" James muttered. "Our names?" asked Henry blankly. Of course, dear Henry! For example, my name fits an engine such as myself perfectly. It gives off a sense of being noble, largeness, and masculinity." "Noble?" snickered Percy. "Masculinity?" Henry fumed. "Exactly. You try it, James." "Uh... Well... Um... My name fits me because... I've always had it, and it gives off a vibrant vibe," said James, "It matches my lovely paintwork." "Vibe?" Henry said. "Stop interrupting, Henry." "My name has a sense of elegance to it," said Emily proudly, "Sounds about right, doesn't it?" "That makes no sense," said Henry."Oh come now, Henry, your name... uh... says you're green and... uh... like trees!" spluttered Gordon. Henry grunted. "If you say so..." "My name says that I'm small and nice to everyone!" grinned Percy. "What about my name?" asked Bear hopefully. Gordon, who had hoped that Bear would join the conversation, looked over to the diesel and started to laugh. "What's so funny?" asked Bear, a bit hurt. "Your name has no meaning at all, Bear! Bears have large claws and sharp teeth. I doubt you're that strong or brave!" "Well... uh..." "Exactly! You barely pulled that train at Vicarstown yesterday!" "Shut up, Gordon," snapped Henry, "Bear's fine with his name, just the way he is. Names don't matter, just as I said before." "Huh! At least we have actual names. The word 'bear' just refers to an animal!" "So does my name," Duck spoke up, "Why are you picking on Bear?" "Because Bear doesn't fit his name in the slightest. At least your name... erm... fits you." "What's that supposed to mean?" asked Duck crossly. Gordon ignored Duck as the firelighter walked up. "Gordon, you're first to be lit. The Express is due in a half hour." "Indeed it must be, sir," said Gordon smugly. "...here we go," grunted Duck. Soon, Gordon's fire was glowing brightly. "Ah, that does feel nice," the big engine murmured as he started to puff out of the shed. Bear sighed. Gordon, hearing this, looked back at him and smirked. "See you in the wild, Bear! I hope you can survive out there! Create a cave! Hibernate!" With that, Gordon left the sheds and was off to the station. "Good riddance," muttered Emily, "You alright, Bear?" "I've had worse," said Bear wryly, "Thanks for the concern, though. I don't understand why's he in such a mood. He forgave me for making him late yesterday, didn't he?" "Don't worry, Bear," said Henry confidently, "Gordon's just being silly. He'll soon see sense." "Hopefully..." muttered Percy. The turntable turned to Bear's berth and the mixed-traffic engine scurried away to the yard. Meanwhile, at Henry's Forest, a couple of men were driving a Sodor Animal Park van along a dirt road. "I don't understand why we have to take this bear to the Mainland, just so she could get her health checked out," said one. "I guess it's a precaution, David. I wouldn't go near that thing if I were any rational person." "Oh come on, Sam, you know she's friendly." "Maybe, but I don't like this whole 'bear' business. I'd rather take an elephant or a giraffe. At least they don't have sharp claws." As the men talked, the bear stood in the cargo part of the van. Wanting to escape the clutches of the machine, it swung one of its paws at the doors. The doors swung wide open, since at the Animal Park, Sam and David had completely forgotten to lock the van. The bear, sensing its chance to escape, leaped out of the van and onto the dirt road. Sam and David hadn't noticed, however, so the bear started to run as fast as she could. Gordon puffed along the Main Line, and was nearing Henry's Forest. "Ha ha ha, what a lark! What a lark," the express engine chortled, "That'll teach him to make me late." "All that mocking just for him making you late? Honestly, Gordon, how petty can you get?" his driver retorted. "Well, nobody delays my express unless I believe it was accidental." "It was accidental!" "Well, come to think of it, his name really doesn't suit him. I mean... why not Rabbit? Or Oak? Or Fox?" "I think you seem to forget the engines nicknamed him that..." Gordon's driver said, patience wearing thin. "Oh. Such a poor choice on their part. Doesn't suit him at all. He's not at all threatening like a bear is." "I don't understand why you dislike him so much," his driver replied, "I mean, he did defend you when that nasty D199 came to Sodor." "I don't dislike him, driver," Gordon replied pompously, "I just think he should be more respectful." "Oh, brother..." "No, Flying Scotsman isn't going to help you, driver. Stop thinking up fantasies." "What?! But it's an expression- oh, never mind..." The large brown bear stepped along, sniffing to try and find its next catch for its dinner, since the Animal Park could no longer supply food for it. Suddenly, the bear noticed a large empty space where there weren't any trees. Of course, the space was occupied by the tracks of the Main Line that ran through the forest, but the bear couldn't have comprehended this. Looking left, then right, it started to walk along the lines. Feeling rather tired, it sat down and started to eat some weeds that were in the ballast. Gordon's driver looked from the cab window and immediately braked. "What's wrong, driver? I don't see anything." "There's an obstruction on the line, Gordon. We must stop." Gordon squinted so he could see better, and smirked; from his perspective, the obstruction didn't seem to be much of a threat. "Nonsense. It's only a cow." The bear, who had seen the locomotive come towards him, started to roar, feeling like it was threatened. Gordon heard this and stopped immediately. "Goodness me! That's frightening!" "That sounds like a brown bear," murmured the driver, "That's bad news." "You can say that again," cried the fireman, pointing at the bear. The guard of the train got out of his compartment and started walking along the train until he came to Gordon. "Why'd we stop, driver? We have to get to Vicarstown soon." "There's a bear on the line, I'm afraid." "Oh... that explains it..." The passengers were also confused as to why the Express had stopped. "What's going on?" a man asked the guard. "Uh... I'm afraid there's an obstruction on the line," the guard replied. "What kind of obstruction?!" "Uh... the living kind." The passengers looked to each other worriedly. "Uh... what exactly does that mean?" the man said nervously. "Basically there's a brown bear on the line." The passengers gasped in horror. "It's alright, it's alright. It can't climb inside the coaches." The bear started to walk towards Gordon. Gordon, who was scared out of his mind, didn't know what to do as the bear sniffed him. "Let's try wheeshing it," said the fireman, "It's a long shot, but it might get it to leave." The driver nodded, and Gordon immediately wheeshed steam at the animal. "Shoo! Shoo!" ordered the big engine. The bear roared in irritation and slashed its claws at the express engine's face. Luckily, Gordon reversed just in time. "Bust my boiler!" he gasped in horror. Inside the cab, the driver mentally slapped himself on the forehead, realizing how stupid the plan was. "Great, we just made it mad. That's not good... We need someone to shoo this bear away." "Someone from the Animal Park perhaps?" suggested the fireman. "That'll take forever, and you know it. This is an express train, you know." "Hey, just throwing ideas out there." Before the driver could tell the fireman off, Bear rolled up alongside Gordon. He noticed the bear and quickly shot a look at Gordon. One look at Gordon's face said it all. "Well, goodness gracious, Gordon! What's this? Are you trapped by this bear here?" the diesel grinned. Gordon wasn't in the mood for being teased. "Huh! Perhaps I am. What of it? What can you do to help me?" "I could get a wildlife expert, or-" A loud growl erupted from Bear's engine, frightening both the bear and Gordon. The bear barred its teeth in response. "What was that for?!" Gordon asked in fury. Bear smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. My engine does that sometimes. Nothing's wrong with it, exactly, but I can't really control it either." Before Gordon could reply, Bear's engine roared again, intimidating the bear further. The bear growled and started trudging off the tracks. Gordon's jaw dropped. "W-w-what?! H-how?!" "Heh, what was that about me not being not like a bear?" Bear smirked. Gordon was too dumbfounded to think of a comeback, so Bear started to diesel away. "Heh, and your name means you're noble!" were Bear's last words before he was out of earshot. "While we're at it, we should probably find out where that bear came from. In all my years, I've never seen that many bears in this forest, and I don't think any bear's climbed onto the line," said the fireman worriedly. "We'll phone the Sodor Animal Park at Vicarstown. I have a feeling they're connected to this somehow," said the driver firmly, "We better get that thing caged before it becomes a problem." The driver opened the regulator and the train started moving. "Come on, Gordon. We need to make up for lost time." The big engine didn't reply as the express started puffing through the forest again. "We finally got him to shut up..." the driver muttered. At Vicarstown Station, Henry was dropping a few of his trucks before heading to the Mainland. As the workmen unloaded the crates, Bear rolled alongside the big green engine. The Hymek diesel grinned as he came to a stop. "Well, guess what happened earlier, Henry!" "What?" "Gordon had a bit of a 'wild' adventure in the forest today. Try and guess what that means." "Why?" "Just for fun." Henry thought for a moment, and then started laughing. "Ah, I see! He had an incident with a bear, I reckon!" "Gòrdan did whit noo?" Donald chuckled as he and Douglas puffed into the station."I must admit that I'm quite curious too," added BoCo. "The Express was on its way here when a bear must've crawled onto the Main Line," Bear explained, "You should've seen the expression on his face! Hilarious! Then I came along and scared it away with my engine noises." "Well, isn't that something?" chortled Henry. "Aye, Gordon be a scaredy engine," Douglas grinned. Gordon's whistle echoed through the large station. "Shush, here he comes!" Donald whispered. The big blue engine slowly puffed into the station, glancing warily from engine to engine. Henry, Donald, Douglas, Bear, and BoCo roared with laughter as Gordon came to a stop. "Roar! Did that scare ye?" Douglas cried. "Only you can prevent Gordon from being scared," quipped BoCo. "Don't climb any trees anytime soon!" Henry said. Gordon blushed bright red and huffed crossly as his driver ran to a telephone booth. The passengers climbed out, admittedly finding the situation to be rather humorous. Some even laughed as they exited the coaches, which infuriated Gordon even more. "Oh... the indignity..." As the final nail in the coffin, Spencer puffed into the station with his private coaches, and had overheard a good chunk of what had been said. "Ah, cousin, I see someone's a... scaredy engine about something! Take my advice, and hide in your shed if you can't resist a wild animal," Spencer smirked. Spencer's words only increased the laughter, which was the last thing Gordon wanted at the moment. "Huh!" was the only thing Gordon could muster. His driver walked back across the platform and started up his engine again. "So what happened?" asked the fireman. "Turns out some idiots didn't lock a zoo van correctly and the bear climbed out of it." "Oh. Did they catch it?" "They're trying to now." Gordon was very grateful when the guard blew his whistle. Gordon raced out of the station as fast as he could, with the laughter slowly dying out with distance. Soon, night came. Gordon was not looking forward to going back to the sheds after the day's events. "Can't I sleep in a goods shed somewhere? Anything's better than being humiliated again..." the big engine grumbled. "Oh, come now, Gordon. It's not so bad," said the driver, "I mean... uh..." "You just want to see me laughed at, don't you?" "Well..." "It is quite funny," chimed in the fireman. "Yes. Yes it is." "Thanks so much..." Gordon fumed. In the sheds, the engines were retelling the story to James and Duck, who were the only ones that were in the dark about the whole spectacle. "Well, isn't that something?" Duck grinned, "Justice strikes again, I suppose." James was about to say something when they noticed Gordon backing into the sheds. As Gordon backed into his berth, he couldn't help but notice all the other engines either grinning or smirking at him. "What's so funny?" he asked flatly, pretending to not know what they were on about. "I think it's fairly obvious, Gordon," Bear said smugly. Henry couldn't resist a chance to tease again. "Well, Gordon! I think we now know what your name truly means, don't we?" "What does it mean?" smirked BoCo. "Yes, enlighten us with your knowledge, Henry!" James snickered. "Well, the name 'Gordon' means cowardly and able to be afraid of such a simple thing as a bear!"n "You would've too," grunted Gordon. "Oh, I doubt it," Duck grinned. "Well, I didn't run," Bear smirked, "I just used my random roaring noises to scare it off." Bear's engine made another loud roar, making Gordon jump. He instantly regretted showing fear though, as this made the engines roar into laughter once again. "Can't take a little noise, Gordon?" Donald chuckled. "Where's that masculinity of yours?" James added. "Or your nobleness?" Duck said. Gordon just groaned quietly. "Well, when all is said and done," finished Bear, "I think it's safe to say that I'm stronger and braver than you give me credit for." "Alright. alright... I'm sorry, Bear. I lied when I said I forgave you... I was still bitter about you delaying me, and planned the name conversation so I could get you back somehow." Bear frowned. "Oh..." "I've learned that that incident wasn't really your fault though... And admittedly, you were pretty brave to shoo that bear off... even if that was your engine's growling, not necessarily you...!" Bear chuckled. "Heh, I guess my noises do come in handy sometimes." "Well, this took a random nice turn," James muttered. "You know what I think your name means, Bear?" Bear looked at Gordon, a bit worried. "Uh... maybe?" "Heh, it means you're a good friend," Gordon said. Bear grinned. "Thanks, Gordon." James groaned. "Oh come on, that's so sappy!" "Don't ruin the moment James," said Henry. Bear and Gordon chuckled as they looked out at the stars together. Characters * Henry * Gordon * James * Percy * Emily * Duck * Donald and Douglas * Spencer * BoCo * Bear * Charlie (cameo) * Flying Scotsman (mentioned) * D199 (mentioned) Locations * Tidmouth Sheds * Henry's Forest * Vicarstown * Crovan's Gate (mentioned) * Sodor Animal Park (mentioned) Category:Sodor Adventures